05 Sep Laboring Over Grants: Finding Help in Difficult Times by Tracey Diefenbach, GPC and Thomas Assel, GPC
Are you laboring too much over grants? Grants are great to have, and they’re often crucial to an organization’s mission, but there are only so many hours in the day to apply for and manage those grants. Grant professionals are susceptible to burn out from the heavy responsibility and high-pressure, deadline-driven work, which continues day in and day out in our profession. Grant applications and management can even get in the way of your organization’s mission. I was recently on a call with a client who was looking for help managing their grant portfolio. When I asked why they were seeking support, the client shared a striking comment: “We are so busy trying to get the money that we struggle to actually carry out the work.” I understood completely because I’ve seen this state of affairs before.
03 Sep Funding Alert! Assistance for Rural Microentrepreneurs
United States Department of Agriculture – Rural Development Attention rural microentrepreneurs and the organizations that support them! The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now accepting proposals for its 2021 Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP). The goal of RMAP is to support the development and success of rural microentrepreneurs and microenterprises. It accomplishes this by providing loans and grants to Microenterprise Development Organizations (MDOs) that provide technical assistance and financial services to eligible rural businesses. RMAP applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, with due dates occurring at the end of each quarter, from September 30, 2021 through June 30, 2022.
27 Aug Funding Alert! Leadership Grants for Museums
Institute of Museum and Library Services Last month, we looked at an annual Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) opportunity focused on capacity-building for libraries. This month, IMLS opened applications for a similar annual program for museum folks, National Leadership Grants for Museums (NLG-M). This program seeks to address critical needs and improve services among the museum profession at a broad level. IMLS is looking for projects that demonstrate a thorough understanding of the needs and priorities within the museum field, employ innovative approaches and collaborations, and have the potential to make a far-reaching impact in the discipline.
20 Aug Funding Alert! Resilience, Mental Health, and Wellness for Health Professionals
Health Resources and Services Administration Does your organization provide health care in rural and medically underserved areas? The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently opened a funding opportunity through its Promoting Resilience and Mental Health Among Health Professional Workforce (PRMHW) program. The overall goal of the PRMHW program is to support health care organizations in the adoption, promotion, and implementation of a culture of wellness for their health professional workforce(s), including building resilience against burnout and supporting mental health. This program also places an emphasis on addressing social determinants of health, health equity and disparities, and the needs of rural and medically underserved communities. The due date for this year’s funding opportunity is coming up on August 30, 2021.
16 Aug Can Data Win the Heart of a Grant Reviewer? Using Data Visualizations in Grant Proposals By Whitney Gray, MA, GPC
Recently, I conducted a pre-submission peer review on several federal grant proposals from organizations located in rural Kansas. The first question each organization had to respond to was, “Describe your geographical/service area.” Each organization named the counties served in their respective service areas and then went on to describe just how ‘rural’ their area is. While each applicant organization had some aspects of serving rural areas of Kansas in common, they each approached the description differently. Some of the descriptions included the total square mileage contained within their service boundaries; others referenced the state’s definitions that place a county on a continuum of ‘frontier’ to ‘urban’; others pointed out the distance in hours to the nearest major city. Ultimately, each applicant described their geographical service area with the purpose of convincing federal reviewers that Organization XYZ was the only provider of important services for its region.
14 Aug Lorraine’s House Receives $50,000 Grant from the REACH Healthcare Foundation
Lorraine’s House was recently awarded a $50,000 grant from REACH Healthcare Foundation to support a compassionate approach, structure, and research- and evidence-based strategies to support women in their recovery from substance use disorder (SUD).
14 Aug Wichita Children’s Home Receives $25,000 Grant from the Kansas Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Fund
Wichita Children’s Home recently received a grant for $25,000 from the Kansas Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Fund to expand and enhance depth and breadth of WCH’s survivor aftercare services for victims of human trafficking. Wichita Children’s Home (WCH) Anti-Human Trafficking Initiative incudes outreach and prevention; and emergency shelter, transitional living, and aftercare services are outcome based, trauma-informed and victim-centered. Our primary goal is to empower these young women to heal and reclaim their lives.
14 Aug Powell Gardens Receives $230,254 Grant from IMLS Museums Empowered Initiative
Powell Gardens was recently awarded a $230,254 grant from IMLS MFA Museums Empowered Initiative to support the Supporting Professionally Relevant Opportunities for Understanding and Training (SPROUT) project. SPROUT will make critical investments in the Gardens’ operational infrastructure. These investments will improve the Gardens’ ability to provide visitors with meaningful encounters with plants within the Midwest ecosystem. Specifically, the project will address the Gardens’ staff needs through enhanced human resources support and expanded team and individual talent development opportunities for staff. Professional development offerings will include technical trainings and safety demonstrations for horticulture and administrative staff as well as leadership training for managers and directors.